Title: The Nazarenes of Galilee, March 20
Matthew 21:1-11
Galilean Nazarene
entry into Jerusalem
The story of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, which is a pictorial depiction of the final climax of Jesus' public life, is covered in all four Gospels in detail. The reason is that the story of Jesus' Passion, which begins with his entry into Jerusalem, is regarded as the most important thing in the Christian faith. As we well know, Jesus entered Jerusalem, stayed there for about a week, was arrested, and eventually died on the cross. We do not know exactly why Jesus had to come to Jerusalem. If you are a pious Jew rather than for a special reason, it may be that Jesus simply followed the custom of visiting the Holy Land during important festivals. Although the motive for entering Jerusalem was simple, the result was decisive not only for the Christian world but also for the history of mankind.
Today's text, which deals with the story of this entry into Jerusalem, begins like this. When Jesus and his companions arrived at Bethphage, near Jerusalem, Jesus called two of his disciples and sent them on an errand. “Go to the other village. Then a donkey will be bound, and its young will be with you. Untie the donkey and bring it to me. If anyone tells you what to say, say, 'The Lord will use it.' Then it will be given to you at once” (verses 2, 3). The disciples followed this word and dealt with it. Perhaps the owner of the donkey and Jesus had been friends for a long time. The disciples would have been able to handle this easily because they had made an agreement with him in advance.
The disciples put their coats on the donkey, and Jesus got on it. Then many people took off their coats and spread them on the road, while others broke branches and laid them on the road. And people in front of and behind Jesus as he entered on a donkey cheered. “Hosanna! Descendants of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna even in the highest heaven!” (verse 9). From this scene alone, it seems that Jesus was greatly welcomed by the people of Jerusalem. However, if you follow today's text, you can see that such cheers soon turn into shouts to kill him, so it must be said that this illusion was only a partial phenomenon. I don't know if this cheering is an 'event' held only by those who have always followed Jesus.
Who would have noticed at that time that Jesus' entry into Jerusalem was the beginning of a holy drama to save mankind? No one was there. Not only did the Roman governors, the Jerusalem high priests, and the Pharisees, who were the mainstream of history at that time, not know, but also the disciples who followed Jesus did not know each other. The most decisive reason they had no choice but to not know was not because they lacked faith, but because the essence of history was hidden. The mysterious mechanism by which small episodic events develop into events that change a country or the world is fundamentally beyond our understanding. Prophets are people who can approach and foresee these things more carefully than others. Because they see the world spiritually, they live in anticipation of the events that, although humble in the present, will greatly change the future.
Matthew focused on this scene of his entry into Jerusalem in two places. One is that Jesus is riding on a donkey, and the other is that he is greeted as he enters. So, by quoting the Old Testament, Matthew emphasizes the fact that these two events that happened to Jesus had historical significance. But donkeys and cheers don't go well together. The donkey is such an ordinary animal, but cheers are a special phenomenon. If Jesus was greeted like a triumphal general, it would be much more natural to enter on a horse instead of a donkey. However, Jesus did not ride a horse because he was not acclaimed in the political, military, and economic fields. He rode on a donkey because he went his way, not in a way of fighting, conquering, and cultivating hegemony, but in a way of peace that humbly awaited the kingdom of God.
who is he
Seeing this Jesus being cheered on on a donkey, the citizens of Jerusalem asked each other, “Who is he?” Matthew gives their answer this way: “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee” (verse 11). This answer may have come from the very passage, but it must be viewed as the confession of faith of the Matthew community, and furthermore, the confession of faith in early Christianity. After the events of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection, his followers would have needed to prove themselves to the citizens of Jerusalem, still waiting for Jesus in Jerusalem. Perhaps the citizens of Jerusalem asked about these primitive Christian communities. Who is the Jesus you are waiting for? They must have answered as recorded in today's text. The Jesus we are waiting for is a prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.
Galilee Nazareth is a place name. Galilee refers to the northern part of Israel, and Nazareth refers to a village in that region. If you look at Jerusalem, which boasts the history and traditions of Israel, Galilee is a frontier among the frontiers. If we compare it to us, would it be comparable to North Hamgyong Province? Moreover, Galilee is traditionally known as a region of frequent riots. Of course, the Jewish people themselves had a strong sense of nationality that made the Roman governors reluctant to take office there, but Galilee was especially serious.
Nazareth, in that Galilean region, was a very ordinary town, so it was often ignored by the people of the decent area. When Philippi told Nathaniel about Jesus, he replied: “Can anything magical come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:45). Galilee and Nazareth, the places where Jesus came from, were nowhere to be seen.
Why do we mention that this man who is driving Jerusalem into commotion comes from a very frivolous area? It doesn't seem to mean that the citizens of Jerusalem still look down on this Jesus. No hostility or cynicism of them towards Jesus can be found in this scene. So are you saying that this place name was mentioned in a good way? To mention an area that is of any help to Jesus, his birthplace, Bethlehem, is much better. Matthew 2, which explains the story of Jesus' birth, specifies the place of Jesus' birth as Bethlehem. Although this Bethlehem is a small town, it is close to Jerusalem and it was a place where you can get the Old Testament guarantee. “O Bethlehem, land of Judah, you are by no means the smallest towns in the land of Judah. From you will come a leader who will be the shepherd of my people Israel” (Matthew 2:6, Micah 5:1). Why does Matthew not say that the birthplace of Jesus when he entered Jerusalem was Bethlehem, but Galilee and Nazareth, where there was a lot of riots?
It is hard to believe that Matthew had any particular intention in using the terms Galilee and Nazareth. The name Nazareth was always attached to when referring to Jesus. Just as the name Joseph of Arimathea means that he was from Arimathea and Judas Iscariot was from Iscariot, the name Jesus of Nazareth is a simple way of expressing that he was from Nazareth. Even so, Nazareth is enough, isn't there another reason to mention Galilee? In fact, when describing Jesus, Galilee appears as a very important modifier. The place where he began to proclaim the kingdom of God was the Sea of Galilee, and it was also in Galilee where he promised to meet with the disciples after the resurrection. So it is not so strange that Matthew refers to Jesus as from Galilee of Nazareth.
But we must read the expression in the context of today's text as a whole. Matthew quotes Psalm 118:25,26 from the text and records that those cheering Jesus shouted ‘Hosanna!’. Hosanna means “Now save me.” If Matthew, who is presenting Jesus as the true king through the incident of the donkey on which Jesus rode, specifically uses the word ‘hosanna’, it must be seen that the soteriology confession of faith toward Jesus is already underlying it. Against this background, the names Galilee and Nazareth must be seen to have some religious and theological significance.
prophet jesus
Before we think about what it means, let's look at another expression that will make it more clear. Matthew says that the reason Jerusalem was plunged into commotion was “the Prophet Jesus” who came from Nazareth in Galilee. Nazareth in Galilee points to the place where Jesus came from, the prophet to his role, and Jesus to the fact that he was a natural person.
To say that Jesus is a prophet is right on the one hand and wrong on the other. If a prophet is someone who proclaims on behalf of God's word, then Jesus is also a prophet. That's why people thought Jesus was Elijah, Jeremiah, or John the Baptist. The hallmark of a prophet is that he proclaims the Word of God in concrete history. Who has penetrated human history more accurately than Jesus? Jesus was clearly a prophet among prophets.
But Jesus was not just a prophet who prophesied the word of God and saw through history. He was the very word of God that he proclaimed. He was the very prophecy he prophesied. I think that today's text calling Jesus a prophet probably includes both these meanings. He was a prophet who proclaimed the word of God, and at the same time was the word itself, the prophecy itself.
The name ‘Jesus’ attached to the word prophet is a Greek pronunciation of the Hebrew word ‘Yeshua’, which means ‘God helps.’ This name could easily be found in Hebrew males like Simon and James in Jesus' day. The expression ‘Jesus the Prophet’ should not be viewed as having such a special meaning.
But isn't it rather strange that the narrative of the nature of Jesus at such an important and pressing moment is overly mundane? Matthew has already confessed that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God (Chapter 16), and while explaining all of Jesus’ actions and teachings on this confession of faith, it does not seem natural to omit them in the scene of his entry into Jerusalem. Of course, since they are the words of the citizens of Jerusalem, it can be seen that they were just conveyed as they are, but given that they did not immediately correct them, they are not simply conveying the facts. It is clear that Matthew is referring to some extraordinary Christian belief by way of very plain language. What is it?
salvation from low places
Today we need to look at this verse in its entirety this way. It is said that Jesus, with an ordinary name, with no origin, is the Son of God, King, and Messiah. Not a person with a plausible status, but Jesus of a low status is the true King of this world. This also means that God's salvation broke our expectations and started from a low place. It is in this expression that the people of the world base their lives on plausible honor, success, possessions, knowledge, etc., but God's salvation is not like that. Therefore, the way for those who depend on God for everything to be saved now begins with Jesus from Nazareth, Galilee. To believe in Jesus who suffered like this as the true King of this world and our Christ means to believe in the fact that salvation begins with a humble beginning.
Holy Week begins now. It is a week in which the failure of Jesus in this world is confirmed in the lowest place physically. For a week, we need to keep deep in our hearts about how the suffering of Jesus, which can be called a complete defeat, is God's action to save us. We must pay attention to the mystery of salvation that arises from ordinary and low places, not from high places that seem great and plausible.